News

Strathbogie Shire residents back calls for Nagambie ambulance

18 February 2016

A petition calling on Daniel Andrews to base an ambulance in Nagambie has gathered about 500 signatures from Nagambie and surrounding communities.

Joining members of the Nagambie Ambulance Service Community Alliance in Nagsmbie this morning, Member for Euroa and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Steph Ryan said it was important to continue the push for an ambulance as government started to finalise the May State Budget.

"I have informed Parliament of the results of the petition and I will be writing to Heath Minister Jill Hennessy this week to again press Nagambie's case," Ms Ryan said.

Ms Ryan said she had asked Ms Hennessy to release the results of the first stage of its trial which saw an ambulance operate from Nagambie during daylight haours over the peak summer period.

The results of the petition come as new data from Ambulance Victoria shows ambulance response times across Strathbogie Shire are still some of the worst in the state.

"The only way we will solve this is if we have paramedics rostered on in Nagambie around the clock," Ms Ryan said.

"Labor is trying to placate us with as half baked solution that still leaves volunteers with the heavy lifting.

"Response times in Strathbogie Shire between October and December last year continue to be well above the state average.

"There were 208 calls in Strathbogie Shire over the December quarter and the average response time was 19 minutes. Just 39.9 per cent of calls were answered within the target of 15 minutes.

"In Greater Shepparton the average response rate is 12 minutes and 25 seconds with 76.7 per cent of calls answered within 15 minutes.

"The community emergency response team are doing the best they can in partnership with local paramedics in Murchison, Euroa and Seymour but our paramedics have huge areas to cover and Nagambie is a big gap."

Before the 2014 election the Coalition pledged to base two full time paramedics in Nagambie with the support of an ambulance community officer, as well as a new MICA unit in Seymour.

"There has been virtually no improvement in response times across Victoria since Daniel Andrews came to office," Ms Ryan said.

"Labor has scrapped investment in ambulance services not only in Nagambie but also in Seymour where a new MICA paramedic was going to be based.

"For all of Labor's talk about of an ambulance crisis before the election, they have done very little to address the needs of residents in Strathbogie Shire," Ms Ryan said.